MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins are in a desperate situation as they move toward their home finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Their coach, Mike McDaniel, is fighting to keep his job and their rookie quarterback, Quinn Ewers, is fighting to earn a job. All the while their fans are getting turned off by the entire situation and being constantly reminded the franchise hasn’t won a playoff game since 2000 and the Dolphins (6-9) are concluding their second consecutive losing season.

A strong performance by the Dolphins in their home finale against the Buccaneers (7-8) could go a long way toward soothing the seething anger that’s beginning to bubble to the surface from fans.

Here are five things to look for in Sunday’s game:

Quinn Ewers

The rookie quarterback has drawn positive reviews from coaches and players for his debut performance last Sunday. Ewers seems more confident this week. One thing to watch is how Tampa Bay defends him now that it has a game’s worth of video to review. The Buccaneers have a better idea of Ewers’ strengths and weaknesses and you can be assured they’ll attack his weaknesses.

But Ewers (20 of 30, 260 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions vs. Cincinnati) has a strong arm, good composure, and he makes good decisions so this should be an interesting matchup. Ewers’ success will likely have more to do with things that don’t show up on his stat line such as pre-snap reads, mobility, and ability to deal with in-game setbacks. 

Mike McDaniel

McDaniel, whose job status is in question, is taking lots of criticism both locally and nationally, from media and fans. He appeared to be in better spirits Wednesday than he’s been in a while. He spoke clearly and assertively when addressing the media with very little stammering.

McDaniel seems a bit more confident with Ewers on the field. Players say McDaniel remains the same now as he was a few months ago before the losses began compiling, which seems to indicate he’s not buckling under pressure. We’ll see if that translates to a victory.

De’Von Achane

Pro Bowl running back De’Von Achane, who is No. 3 in the NFL in rushing at 1,267 yards, is one of the biggest keys to victory. Achane is a dual threat as his 64 receptions, tied for the team lead with wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, for 459 yards attests.

The Buccaneers will do their best to corral Achane but few have been successful so far. Surprisingly, Achane only has four 100-yard rushing games. The Dolphins are 3-1 in those games. However, Achane has eight games with more than 100 yards from scrimmage and the Dolphins are 5-3 in those games. If Achane thrives, the Dolphins usually win.

Run defense

The Dolphins must stop the run. Period. Tampa Bay is tied for 16th in the league in rushing at 116.9 yards per game. That’s so-so. The problem is that Miami’s run defense is 27th in the league at 130.3 yards allowed per game.

The Dolphins have allowed four of their past seven opponents to rush for 105 or more yards and they’ve gone 1-3 in those games. In the bigger picture, the Dolphins are 2-9 when their opponent rushes for 100 or more yards. If the Dolphins allow the Buccaneers 100 or more rushing yards they’ll almost certainly lose.

Turnover margin, penalties

Turnover margin is the category McDaniel values over all others. Unfortunately, the Dolphins are tied for 25th in the league in turnover margin at minus-5. In last Sunday’s 45-21 loss to the Bengals they were minus-3. In that stretch in which the Dolphins won five out of six games they were plus-7 in turnover margin.

Regarding penalties, the Dolphins are good overall. Their 95 penalties are 13th fewest in the league and their 744 penalty yards are tied for ninth fewest. The Dolphins were good vs Cincinnati with three penalties for 20 yards. Unfortunately, one of the penalties was an offensive pass interference that negated a 33-yard reception. If the Dolphins are good in these two categories their chances to win increase greatly.

Dolphins Deep Dive: Prediction time — Will Ewers, Miami defeat Bucs? | VIDEO